Sarah Butland's Blog, page 19

Aspirations

A is a very common start of many words related to being an author and writing so when I signed up for the A to Z Challenge I contemplated the A word most. It could easily be for April – the month this challenge is beginning, A is for Author, and Author Platform, Ability, Absolute, and so many more but I am confident with my choice of Aspirations, for many reasons.

As far back as I can remember, being an author has always been my biggest professional aspiration, along with my personal ones getting married and having a child, was to be an author and enjoy what doing that for a living. I still remember, in high school, being so confident about eventually becoming an author that I told a classmate I’d be the next Shakespeare but of the female kind. My “big time aspiration” has been altered slightly, realizing that I need to become me and not like anyone else but still through writing, my imagination captured through stories.

While sometimes my aspiration brings perspiration, my fuel of passion is lit when I receive words like this from a friend I’ve met solely through my books:

I love someone who can pull me into a story. I will read anything.

This to say, if you have a hope or ambition to do something I hope you’ll do it. Ignore the doubts you hear, from others as well as your own self-doubt, and ensure you incorporate more and more of what you love into your day.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Being Grateful, Being Thankful

Like Vampires? Meet Alberta J McMorris

This is Alberta J McMorris… well, as she’s camera shy, this is her “portrait of the author as a border collie” which I love just simply because as authors we are commonly so camera shy but she found away around it.

When did your, dare I say, fascination with vampires start?

I think it really started after seeing the movie Twilight (I know I’ll probably get a lot of hate for this) but that film, more than the book, or anything else that had come before it, actually made me wonder if it was possible to write this type of character with a more “human” face than what has been done traditionally. I wanted to perhaps set these characters free from the literary restraints imposed on them. To me, if vampires were supposedly these powerful creatures that had been around for centuries, it would make perfect sense that they would have found ways to harvest human blood and to create a society where they could be out in the world. It took a few years before I felt like I needed to write anything and when the first character spoke to me from the page, it was the character Nico who first spoke to me & opened the floodgates for all the other characters who have since inhabited my brain.

Faking it, Phoebe ( a novella set in NYC 1967 about a vampire who suddenly gets thrown into the spotlight of fame and has to fake her death – why NYC and why 1967?

Why not 1967? I mean, vampires are immortal, so it makes sense that they would be around in the late 60s and what better time to be young and beautiful?. As far as I know, there weren’t too many other vampire stories set in that time, so I wanted to take a peek in at what it would be like for a character like Phoebe. I also have some stories set further back in the past.  New York City in 1967 was an interesting time, politically and culturally. If vampires didn’t need to hide in the shadows, NYC would probably be the best place for them. You can walk down the street and not be noticed. There was also a large amount of drug use among young people in 1967, particularly speed. A sallow, gaunt complexion wouldn’t draw too much attention.

Mercy, a love story; set in NYC 2017; a young woman has a chance encounter with an old man who isn’t what he appears to be and sets off on an obsessive quest to find out who he is, but also finds out something about herself in the process. It sounds like you believe in fate so let us know some examples of fate in your own life.

I think that chance, rather than fate, is what brings Emily and Mathew together. In a place like NYC, where you can easily never see the same person again, to actually have that unforgettable meeting with someone that you are immediately drawn to is so random. Were it not for the bicycle nearly running her down on the sidewalk, she and he might have just passed each other and never seen each other again. I can think of a couple of examples of relationships where I’ve thought fate had played a part in my life  but in hindsight It didn’t pan out  as I had hoped. If anything, fate would have played more of a hand in breaking up those bad relationships rather than starting them. I think it’s best to always look forward. Life is full of many possibilities and you sell yourself short when you go looking for something specific.

When did you start to write?

I’ve been writing something or other since I first learned how to hold a pen. I’ve dabbled in a few different styles, written a lot of bad poetry, and stopped writing altogether about ten years ago. This latest writing started in October 2016, it came on as a weird feeling that I needed to do something, but I had no idea what was coming, or the impact that this would have on my life.

Who are your favourite authors/ books?Scott Fitzgerald- Great Gatsby has been a big inspiration to me. I don’t think there will ever be another party scene in a novel as vivid as the ones in Gatsby. Almost a century later and those characters still are as interesting as the day they were written.

Jean-Paul Sartre- The Age of Reason. The opening quote in Mercy, a love story  is taken from Age of Reason and my leading man, Mathew is sort-of based on the character Mathieu Delarue, a  conflicted (and perhaps cowardly in some sense)protagonist.

Louise Erdrich- Tracks, one of the best books I’ve ever read. Her stories are so rich with unforgettable characters and occasionally wander into the realm of supernatural. Absolutely one of my  heroes.

It seems like you have mastered the “elevator pitch”, tell us one about you as an author and share any tips you have for others who struggle with it.

It’s funny because when I first found myself trying to describe my book in a short pitch I was at a loss for words. I think it comes down to understanding why you wrote this story/book, whatever. There is a reason, whether it’s to explore the nature of love, of tragedy, of wanting to relive that feeling of falling in love for the first time, to meet that gorgeous love interest and win their heart, or to win a battle against impossible odds. If you really look at what you’ve written and why you wrote it,that will be the basis for your “elevator pitch”

I still think of myself as a “new” author so I don’t really know what to compare it to, I write very organically – in the sense that my head is like a movie screen where I’m seeing these little films play out all day with various characters, scenes, and they don’t always make sense. I watch them over and over until something does make sense and then that is what ultimately makes it into the story.  I’ve had dreams about characters, and a very strange dream where someone I don’t know came up to me and told me that one of my character (that I was having a hard time writing) was “stupid” and when I woke up I realized he was right. That character got taken out of the book the next day.

You told me you’re writing two books currently – how do you balance your time and imagination between the two? Do you also read multiple books at once?

I write as it comes. I was supposed to be working on Violet, the sequel to Mercy, and then this other book completely came out of nowhere with all these unfamiliar characters and needed to be written first. I’m working on that one now, and have put everything else on hold a bit. I have things written & mapped out. Each book has its own file; some more completed than others, and when I go to work on them I do have to refresh myself a bit and get reacquainted with the characters. Sometimes it’s good to let things sit for a while, and come back with fresh eyes. Some story that seemed really good six months ago may not stand the test of time. But it is difficult to manage time, I work full-time and sometimes just need to go stand on the beach to clear my head out for a few hours.

You have some great book trailers available – tell me more about your process and success with those.

I used an app called Scoompa Video to make the book trailers with enhanced photos and screen captions of some of my writing. I’m an amateur photographer and  like to toy with different photo editing programs.

You write under a pen name – tell us about the process of choosing that and the decision to write under that name instead of your given name.

I felt that since I was effectively doing new work, I needed a fresh start.  It is freeing in a way, because writing as someone else gives you the opportunity to leave behind your personal baggage or style or whatever may be hindering you in your work.  Alberta J. McMorris didn’t exist before 2016, there was nobody to tell her that she was a “bad” writer, or that she can’t write novels and do this. It’s kind of like performing in drag, I can put on the Alberta costume and be a novelist because there was never any moment where Alberta didn’t think she wasn’t one. I’ve never really liked my own name that much either.

Anything else you’d like to share about you or your process or your books?

I hope that people like these characters and their stories. I think they have made a lasting impression on me and I hope that when people read them that they will feel connected to them.

if not: Answer this one

Do you believe in ghosts?

I had a strange experience last summer in an old house that I stayed in. It wasn’t a “scary” experience but it was something unexpected and worked its way into my writing.

Thanks for letting me do this!

Thank YOU Alberta, and readers of vampire tales. Be sure to go like Alberta’s Facebook and GoodReads page to show your support!

Sarah Butland

author of Blood Day and Arm Farm

I Saw The Forest

Have you ever related to the saying “I couldn’t see the forest through the trees”? Always stressing about the little steps, the minor decisions and never really standing back to take it all in?

I struggle with the idea of knowing what I want out of life and just not seeing enough progress through all the steps I feel I keep taking. I focus so hard on trying to ensure I make the “right” step that I rarely sit back and realize how far I’ve come or how close I can be to the beauty of the big picture.

And so I wrote I Saw The Forest because I need a reminder that I shouldn’t be running anymore, that I need to stop and breath and realized – maybe you do, too.

So I published the story and hope you’ll take the time to enjoy it and let me know if it relates to you.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Being Grateful, Being Thankful and Cherish Your Treasures

Brenda Novak Is One of a Kind

Not only is Novak an outstanding author, she is such a great person with a wonderful team and group of fans supporting her. I am in awe of her talents and effort as well as her outreach in general. I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed a book of hers yet as I have read and enjoyed so many and will need to correct that immediately.

Most recently Novak did two magical things I’m in awe of. The first is stepping up to donate some books to a writer friend of mine who recently lost her home due to fire. I asked her group of loyal followers if they could support my #BeccaToldMeToo cause and donate a book or two to help lift my friends spirits. Not only did Brenda Novak approve the share on her site of over 12500 members, she offered to send some books, too!

We all know even best selling authors sometimes struggle in this world of piracy and closing bookstores so it means such a great deal to me knowing she has such a kind and giving soul.

The other is that when she introduces a game on her Facebook Book Group site people respond in a huge way! Her #TuesdayNightGameNight! post asking fans to comment with a book title starting with the last letter of the last post prompted over 850 comments and counting – each including a different title.

This tells me there are such good people in the world, we just have to look for them sometimes.

Why didn’t I think of her on International Women’s Day? Likely because she is so modest and I feel she’s just so under the radar but in many ways that makes her even more powerful!

Thank you for all you do, Brenda Novak!

Sarah Butland

International Women’s Day

There are a lot of reasons I am writing this post today – women are awesome (though men are, too), I have a few very influential women in my life, women have a voice beyond the victimized version we hear of most, and I, as a woman, have the freedom to share and be a part of a wonderful community.

When a local radio station asked about the most influential women in my life I hesitated, not because I don’t have any but more so because I wondered if not naming my own mother first was wrong. It’s not that she’s not strong or hard working, she was a mother to countless of foster kids who needed her most and that is a whole other level of patience and reaching out to celebrate, but because we are following different paths. My path has me writing, having the dream of being an author and surrounded by friends who want to delve deep into their emotional states and hug and cry. She did a service to the community by sacrificing all that she had for those who had less and that definitely made an impact to far more people than me.

Then I thought of Fleur Mainville, who I didn’t know very long but who had a tremendous impact in my life, and still does even in her absence. You see, this was a lady who suffered from the greatest of tragedy’s as she was diagnosed so young with a rare form of cancer but didn’t let it stop her. Almost the opposite in my perspective as she strove for greatness and, in many opinions, reached it continuously with everything she did. And she never sacrificed who she was, not even once, or used her sickness as a crutch to slow her down. She was a Big Sister, adopted two kids, played fiddle like you wouldn’t believe and sand with the most beautiful voice yet was still so humble and down to earth. She was such a wonderful woman.

And then there’s Jenn Carson. An acquaintance in high school, not friends as we simply didn’t connect often then, who has become one, if not the greatest, friend I have. As a single mother of two, she is much more than her past should make her – now an author, a poet, a painter, a sewer, making a living through a dream career and connecting to so many. I can go on and on about this ladies impact and support but I’ll summarize it with this – we all need a friend like Jenn in our lives. And she is not afraid of starting over when she needs it most or traveling distances to follow her heart.

Tracy Nickerson has always supported my writing and consistently reviews and awaits my next book and I haven’t even met her in person. Following her dreams through crochet, homeschooling her three children and often working outside of the home I can only hope I can do half of what she does and stay so friendly! She seems to always be the first to comment on my Facebook posts, too! Please visit her at her Tiny Treasures page and like it today!

There were also teachers who I met through school who taught me about life outside of the classroom. Heather Arbuckle, Colleen Sim, Mrs Smith, all seeing me for who I was while supporting and encouraging my larger than life dreams.

Professionally authors like Jodi Picoult for her magnificent stories and characters, Erica Spindler for being so approachable to her fans (see my interview with her here), Beth Powning and Camilla Gibbs for their wonderful books and Sheree Fitch for who she is and what she continues to strive to be (author, poet, bookstore owner, friend and teacher).

For these women I am very thankful and am a bit more confident in my own life because of the roles each of them played or continue to play in mine. So I want to ask you the question now- what defines and amazing woman and who, in your life, fits that description?

Thanks for reading and sharing,

Sarah Butland

author of Cherish Your Treasures, Being Grateful Being Thankful and more!

New Year, New You?

It’s now the tenth day of 2018 and boy, where did the time go? I still remember being impressed with writing “’00” on my assignments at school and now, 18 years later, so much has changed yet equally, I feel stayed the same.

This year I didn’t write down resolutions, I didn’t yet write a what I hope to accomplish list or even think about what I want to do this year. It’s all because it ended on a sour note and, I admit, I was to blame in many ways.

But things are finally calmer, I’m focused on making great changes and am eager for lift off in all I love to do. I’ve recently joined a book club and am loving it. Just being able to get out of the house and talk to adults about reading is so refreshing, even if the books chosen are not my primary focus.

I do want to spend more time writing though, now that I’ve figured out how to fit reading into my crazy schedule it’s time to fit writing in. I’ve been working on a novel with my father in law and it’s going really well, about to get going again soon. And just generally I want to post more, to journal more and to share new beginnings with all of you.

What are you doing with 2018?

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

While My Pretty One Sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark

While My Pretty One Sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another suspenseful story of Mary Higgins Clark. With fine detail about fashion and behind the scenes, although that isn’t my strong suit I was still able to love the passion the main character, Neeve, had as well as could understand the opposing opinion of her father, former Police Commissioner.

The opening scene is the gruesome murder of an eccentric character described later by all who knew her. Ethel, a well-established freelance writer, killed by someone you won’t guess until the very last chance you have. While she’s still collecting alimony from her ex-husband, exposing illegal activity in the fashion industry and pushing all of her limits with regards to who she is, having only one dishonest family member left she names her nephew in her will.

Captivating until the very end! It did not disappoint.

View all my reviews

How High Do You Reach?

Speaking with an amazingly talented wonderful friend recently about goals got me to thinking. He mentioned that he is past setting high goals as he would rather achieve many smaller ones than fail at meeting the “big deadline”.

In part I do agree and, of course, in the other part I disagree. I can get very bummed out when I strive for greatness before I personally set deadline and fail, so much so that it takes me a while to try again. So I have tried setting more realistic “easy” goals and have reached them but they don’t seem like much to celebrate.

For instance, I signed up to write guest posts for a friend (Rebecca Graf) who requests an article of 750 or more for her to post on her account. I hesitated only because I wondered if I should sign up myself to start posting under my own name instead of guest posting. But with my Steemit account, Patreon projects, other freelancing work and my objective to write a novel or two, I decided to just write for her when I can instead of feeling obligated to keep another account alive.

And then when I saw it was 750 words or more I cringed at the thought. My blog posts rarely make it to 500 words yet when I sat down with a topic in mind I couldn’t stop having my fingers go, running about 800 words for a lot of the articles (See them here).

So I get where my friend is coming from in celebrating the smaller projects and knowing they are achievable but I’ll continue to set high expectations for myself as I know sometimes I just might get there after all!

I want to know, do you set high goals or are you a fan of many smaller objectives?

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of so much!

ABOUT THE DEAD OF NIGHT

In Spencer County’s history, mysteries are numerous—and lethal…

As Sheriff Piper Blackwell rushes to a clandestine meeting with an aging, paranoid veteran who believes spies are trailing his every move, she is caught in a fierce thunderstorm. Pounding rain drums against the bluff, washing away the earth and revealing a grisly secret someone tried to bury a long time ago.

Putting a name to the skeleton on the bluff, and searching for the thief who robbed the old veteran of his life’s earnings, sends Piper delving into the sleepy towns that dot her rural county. Now she’s digging into pasts perhaps best left alone.

Accompanied by Chief Deputy Oren Rosenberg, Piper seeks to expose a truth someone wants to remain forever hidden. The investigation may have started with a thunderstorm, but Piper aims to finish it and find justice. Uncovering fragments of Spencer County’s history could prove more dangerous—and deadlier—than she ever expected.

Here’s my interview with Jean Rabe:

1) Where’s the farthest you have traveled personally and in your books?

I’ve been to Australia—loved it. I took lots of notes while I was there and have used Sydney and Canberra as settings in my fiction. I’ve also been to the Bahamas and Canada—the former delightfully warm (I could live there!); the latter beautiful and chilly. In my books I’ve taken characters to another galaxy, so that’s pretty far. That was in The Cauldron, which I wrote with the amazing Gene DeWeese (NYT bestselling Star Trek author). On earth, I’ve taken characters to Australia, Brazil, Thailand, France, and Vietnam. My current work-in-progress takes them under Rome, Italy.

2) As a sci-fi writer, would you ever want to be an astronaut to experience space first hand? Or would you live on Mars?

I wouldn’t live on Mars. Too dry. Too cold. I’d live in the Bahamas or Tennessee. But absolutely I’d want to experience space. How incredible would that be? Like all the best special effects from the greatest SF movies rolling out before you. I would have to take my dogs, though.

3) Besides yourself, who do you write for?

I write because I have all these plots inside my brain. When I’m not writing…or tossing tennis balls to my dogs…I’m thinking about writing. When I watch a movie or TV show, I think about how I would have instead written a scene. I’ve been writing since grade school. BUT I’d say I write for people who like adventure, action, and lite romance. I’ve tried to write “literary,” and can’t do it well. Pretty words, and they sound good, but I find it boring. I need things that blow up, bullets flying, characters running for their lives. So I write for folks who like those kinds of things. In my mysteries I like to throw in some history, too, ancient or local, something for flavor and something that gives me an excuse to do some research. I love research.

4) You have a lot of history in journalism, did you always want to write?

Yeah, I mentioned starting to write in grade school. I had my first publication when I was in 6th grade, then was published a few more times in high school. In college I worked for a couple of newspapers. I was a news junkie. In a way I still am. Hard news is so much different than fiction. It’s almost bare-bones writing in comparison…facts…leave out your own impressions because you want the readers to draw their own conclusions. Just the facts. I covered a lot of awful things…kids drowning, murders, a big military plane crash…a crazed Vietnam vet terrorizing his neighborhood and killing cats in a Satanic ritual (really…it was bad). Moving to fiction was a good break from the harsh reality of how rotten people can be to each other. Hard news gave me a great grounding in being able to write villains. But I find fictional violence much easier on my soul. I’ve coauthored a few books with Andre Norton. She wrote until she was 92. I think novelists keep at it until their fingers don’t work.

5) What advice would you give someone who is interested in journalism and being an author now?

Journalism…be careful. News coverage isn’t the same anymore. It’s in-your-face because of social media. It’s throwing stories out there often before they’re thoroughly vetted. And it’s news-lite. Except for stories I read in the NY Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal, I often scratch my head. Why didn’t the reporters dig deeper? So…the police had no further comment. So…what? So you go out and get the truth with different sources. Work harder. I’m disappointed with most modern journalists. So I’d advise journalism students to be careful, be thorough, and be better than what is out there right now. And especially be careful because a lot of newspapers and magazines are folding. I would think the job market might be scary.

As for being an author now? Be careful. More than one million books are published a year. You have to compete with that…with the big publishers, the small press, and the self-publishers. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write. A writer HAS to write. But you have to get good to compete. You have to be willing to promote yourself, to network, and to not stop. Make sure you’ve got a second source of income to pay the bills, or an understanding spouse who has a job that pays the bills. Go to conferences to meet editors and agents and learn the latest publishing news. Find your niche on the bookshelf, Don’t give up. Never give up.

6) As a regular visitor of museums, which is your favourite and why?

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh…I LOVE museums. Even little ones. Weird ones. Museums by the side of the road that are advertised by a weathered sign. I’ve been to the Smithsonian a couple of times. AWESOME museum. Been to the Australian War Memorial Museum in Canberra…incredible. I taught classes at the Kenosha Public Museum in Wisconsin…really nice little museum, boasts a big dinosaur…actually it’s a complex of three museums. My favorite museum? The National Museum of the USAF at the Wright Patterson base in Dayton, Ohio. Been there four times. Got there when it opened each time, and left as it was closing. It tops the Smithsonian for me. Best Museum.

7) Where do you tend to get your inspiration and motivation from?

I find inspiration in just about anything. I make non-human characters based on my dogs—seeing the world through non-human eyes. I can go to a museum and see an interesting exhibit and turn it into a story. I’m starting to plot my third Piper Blackwell book and I read that Spencer County has the oldest fair in Indiana. So I’m going to set part of my book there. EXCEPT their county fair is over. So I’m going to my local county fair with a notebook and camera. I’ll watch the kids on the rides, the food vendors, check out the cows and such. I’ll take lots of notes and I’ll fold it into the background of my book.

8) What’s the favourite book you’ve ever read?

Wow. Tough question. When I was a kid, it was Champion Dog Prince Tom; I had a worn copy that I eventually passed along to my cousin. I remember it fondly. By Jean Fritz and Tom Clute, originally published in 1958, and I had gotten my copy as a later printing through the Scholastic Book Club. Thinking about that book, I still smile.

My other favorites are: Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin (vampires on a riverboat…so very eerie); The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain; The Forever War by Joe Haldeman; Ice by Ed McBain; Purple Cane Road by James Lee Burke (anyone who wants to write needs to read a James Lee Burke book or three); and the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly.

9) Does your family read your books? If so, before or after they are published?

My friends read my books; my husband doesn’t read mysteries, which is what I’m writing now, or urban fantasy or SF, which I wrote before my mysteries. He did read some of my Dragonlance books, though. Some of my friends are my “beta readers.” I give them my book ahead of time and they read and look for plot holes. Fortunately for my mysteries, those beta-reading friends include attorneys and a former sheriff. And I have a go-to exceptional nurse who helps me treat my injured characters.

10) Do you believe in ghosts?

Sometimes. When memories get thick, like when I’m thinking about this big, wonderful dog I had, I feel something—maybe his presence, maybe my imagination. I’d like to think he’s hovering nearby, waiting for me to join him. Then I’ll toss tennis balls for him to chase again.

USA Today Bestselling author Jean Rabe has written 37 fantasy, urban fantasy, and science fiction novels. The Dead of Night, her 38th, is her second Piper Blackwell mystery. She has roughly 100 short stories in print, has edited a couple dozen anthologies, and has edited more magazines than she cares to tally. When she isn’t writing or editing, she tosses tennis balls to her cadre of dogs, visits museums, and tries to find gamers who will play Axis & Allies with her.

The Dead of Night

Preorder The Dead of Night on Amazon by clicking here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074HHHHX7

The Dead of Winter

Find The Dead of Winter on Amazon by clicking here:

My web page: www.jeanrabe.com

I am on Twitter

You can find my blog

And my Amazon author page

I have a newsletter filled with tidbits about weird news items, pics of my dogs, discussions of upcoming books, reviews of things I’m reading, and writing advice. You can subscribe here.

Print Length: 259 pages

Publisher: Imajin Books

Publication Date: September 15, 2017

ASIN: B074HHHHX7

ISBN: 978-1-77223-308-7

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Universal Link

About Jean Rabe

USA Today bestselling author Jean Rabe has written thirty-seven mystery, fantasy, and adventure novels and one hundred short stories. The Dead of Night is the second in her Piper Blackwell mystery series. She calls them uncozy-cozies, or cozy police procedurals…of which she’s been told there is “no-such genre.” When she’s not writing, which isn’t often, she edits . . . more than two dozen anthologies and more than one hundred magazine issues so far. She’s a former news reporter and news bureau chief who penned a true crime book with noted attorney F. Lee Bailey. Her genre writing includes military, science-fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, mystery, horror, and modern-day adventure. She shares her home with three dogs and a parrot.

Rabe teaches genre writing courses—at conventions, libraries, museums, and other interesting venues. Her hobbies include reading, role-playing games, visiting museums, tossing tennis balls to her cadre of dogs, and buying books to add to her growing stacks. She lives in central Illinois near three train tracks that provide “music” to type by. Visit her website: www.jeanrabe.com.

GIVEAWAY

There’s a tour-wide giveaway for Cracker Barrel and Starbuck’s gift cards or a little password book. In addition, two lucky bloggers will be chosen at random to win a Starbucks or Cracker Barrel Giftcard. Open to US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Direct link to giveaway: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp...?

Accolades for The Dead of Night

Jean Rabe always manages to surprise and never fails to deliver the goods! The Dead of Night…Highly recommended!

—Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Dogs of War and Mars One

Jean Rabe writes the perfect mystery! I was kept guessing about everything to the very last word. The girl can write!

—New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter, writing as Gwen Hunter

In The Dead of Night …a thoroughly satisfying and complex novel with deeply realized characters and beautifully vivid writing.

—Jaden Terrell, Shamus Award nominee and internationally published author of the Jared McKean Mysteries

Today We Celebrate a Cover Reveal!

D.H. Gibbs is celebrating her next book and I was honoured to help her out. I interviewed her recently for my kids site and invite you to check out how she prefers to write and more.

But today it’s all about Totem Rebirth, book two of her Seychatka series so please give her a warm welcome and let her know what you think.

Thanks for coming to the party!

Sarah Butland